The Hero of Oakvale
by Vuurvliegje93
Summary: This is a story from the the very beginning of Fable 1 until the ending of Fable - The lost chapters. Our Hero will have to face many difficult choices and face many trials. Will his path lead him to become Albion's greatest Hero, or as it's most feared Evil Master?
1. Chapter 1 The Raid on Oakvale

**Chapter 1. The Raid on Oakvale**

Deep in the forest of Albion, lay the small town of Oakvale. Unchanged by time and untouched by the sword. Here lived a boy and his family. A boy dreaming of greatness. Of one day being a Hero. Sometimes he imagined himself as a noble Knight… Or a powerful Wizard. And other times he dreamed he'd be an evil Worrier. But in all his dreams of greatness he could not possibly imagine the power of his destiny that lay before him.

 _Swords were clashing, the sound of steel on steel was deafening. Yet my strength never failed me. I looked into my opponents eyes, searching for a sliver of what his next move would be. Then, ever so swiftly, I saw his eyes dart to the left. The dagger I had spotted earlier on hung on his left side and I knew his next move. I twisted out of his way, avoiding the slash of the dagger. I pivoted and found myself behind my enemy. A vague murmur could be heard behind me and suddenly I remember the crowd around us. What a spectacle. My whole world moved in a blur and I was its centre. Nothing could beat me. I gave a sharp kick to my opponents behind and he fell. I jeered and the crowd joined me. With my opponent cowering on the ground before me I allowed myself to look at my adoring fans. It was then I spotted a familiar face amongst the crowd. Brown eyes found my blue ones and I saw a disapproving frown that tried to hide slight amusement. The man was talking to me, but I couldn't make out what he said. Everything around me started to fade away, until only those familiar brown eyes remained. And suddenly I could hear his voice clear as day._

"Come on, wake up!" I jolt from my sleep and look around to what roused me from my dream. My dad stands looking down on me with a disapproving smile.  
"Daydreaming again, weren't you? Just like your mother, mind always wondering." He says. I know he doesn't really mind my daydreaming, but when it gets in the way of my chores, he always tries to put on his best disciplinary face. I wonder if I am in trouble and wait for him to continue.  
"Well, let it wander off to find your sister won't you. She is out playing near the Barrow Fields gate."  
Ah. I just have to find my sister. An easy task, maybe I can get another daydream in before I run into her. I started to walk away when I hear dad call out again.  
"And remember, you haven't given her a birthday present yet!" I halt midstride. Birthday present. Ah crap! I forgot. Again!  
"Don't tell me you forgot to get her one." I look at him with a sheepish smile, but he just shakes his head at me.  
"Well, I'm not bailing you out this time, son." What? He always bails me out. I tried pleading with my eyes. Dad lets out a heavy sigh.  
"Tell you what, I'll give you a gold piece for every good deed you do around Oakvale. That should be enough to buy her a present. Now get moving and stay out of trouble." Haha, success! I knew I could always count on dad to help me out. He tries to put up a tough front, but in reality he is just a big softie. I love him for that. No matter what I do, or what kind of trouble my sister and I get ourselves into, he is always there for us. And I know he will always be.

First I go back inside our house. Maybe I can find an odd trinket of some sort to give to my sister Theresa. I step into our one-story house and start rummaging through the cabinets. Books, hers of course. Clothes, nope no good. What's this? An old belt of dad's? Oh well nothing in here. But then something catches my eye. A little tattered notebook. "Diary". I better put this back. I should not be reading my sisters diary. I sit down on my sister's bed holding her diary. I really shouldn't read this. But my curiosity gets the best of me. Maybe I can find a clue as to what kind of present she wants? Yes, I'm just looking for a present idea, I tell myself as I flip through the pages.

The book is red and the pages are full with drawings and little stories about our day to day life. She thoughtfully has marked the dates so it is easy to find the right date. I really shouldn't pry too much so I skip to the last few pages of her diary.

Harvest Day 15  
Mother is away again. She never tells us where. I think father is a little sad when she does.

Harvest Day 18  
I had a nightmare again last night. There's a big room and right in the middle of it there is a big swooshing light that feels like it's going to suck me in. I still couldn't see what was in the middle of it. I don't think I ever want to.

Harvest Day 19

I had another dream. I was opening birthday presents and I was so happy. Then something happened, and it was so horrible it woke me up. I think that part was only a dream though.

Harvest Day 21

It's my birthday! I bet my brother forgets again, but at least mother will be back. I got up early to look out over the sea, and now I'm going to play in the top field.

I remember Theresa waking up with a scream last night. She used to have a few nightmares every now and then, but lately, they have been more often and more intense. She assured me everything is fine. I worry about her sometimes, but she is strong and always puts up a brave face. She is not so bad, for a girl that is. She always makes time to play with me and often joins in on my mischief. She also takes up most of the chores in the house, since mother is away so often. I too miss her a lot.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any ideas for a gift, so I put the diary back in her drawer and close it. Giving the house one last look I walk through the door and start down the path to the village centre. I bet I can do a few good deeds there.

There is always stuff to do and see in Oakvale. As I walk down the path I pass our neighbours houses, and soon my mind starts to wander again. But before I can engage in another daydream, I almost run into someone. A young girl, she lives a few houses over with her parents and older brother. Emily her name was, I believe. I look down at her. She is wearing a red skirt and a blue shirt that is a bit too big for her. Probably her brother's old shirt. She is a few years younger than I am, her brother is around my age. She looks up at me and I can see tears in her eyes. I hadn't noticed she'd been crying.

"I've lost Rosie! I left her and I can't remember where." Her voice breaks as she tells me this. I have no idea who Rosie is though.

"Her stuffing needs changing today and I can't find her, please help." Her what needs changing now?

"She's a lovely, little, furry bear, with a blue patch on her back." Ooh, stuffed bear. Right, that makes sense. I remember her walking around with the toy and her friends. I smile at her and she runs off again. I'll try to keep an eye out for it as I continue down the road. The sounds of the village surrounds me and I find peace and comfort in it. The clucking of the chickens running amok awakens the mischief maker in me. I spot the chicken to my left softly clucking to itself. I stroll by casually and when standing next to it I gave it a good kick.

They say a chicken is a flightless bird, but not when I'm around. I threw my head back and let out a roaring laugh at the fluttering chicken. Mom and Theresa always scold me when they catch me kicking chickens, but seeing them run around in a frenzy is just too much fun to give up. Many of the villagers laugh at it too, some even call me a chicken chaser. Some of the men say I will become a chick-chaser, though I have no idea what they mean by that. They always laugh when I ask them about it. Saying I'll find out when I'm older.

I had just passed the third house on our street when I heard soft moaning and whispered voices. I've heard those noises before but usually after my parents kick us out of the house saying they need to do some grown-up stuff. Looking around I start to investigate. The sound seems to be coming from behind the third house. Slowly I stalk around the corner and there I find two people. A man and a woman embracing each other. The woman has blond hair cascading down her shoulders and wears a beige blouse. She also wears some loose trousers, and I notice the man had his hands down her trousers. That's a weird place to keep his hand…

"Come here my little pumpkin" the man says. I give the man a better look and I recognize the balding husband of Mrs. Gown. But the woman he is holding is not Mrs. Gown. I don't think he is supposed to be holding her like this. I don't think I am meant to see this, but it is too late now. The woman turns her head slightly and Mr. Gown buries his face in her neck. Then he looks up just for a moment and he spots me. I gasp softly and his eyes grow wide. Suddenly he lets go of the woman and begins to ramble.

"What?! I was just… I'm… I've never even met this woman. Who is she?" The woman jerks away from him, giving him a confused look. Then she follows his gaze and finds me, her face changes from confused to annoyed. She has brown eyes and a very thin nose, I don't think I have seen her before. She waves her hand dismissively at me.

"Run along. We're busy." Ignoring her I keep staring at Mr. Gown, I can see him thinking, his eyes shifting left to right and back again. Then he crouches down to meet my eye.

"Look, sonny. Keep your mouth shut about this, right? My wife's at home with our little ones and I'm supposed to be working. But a man should be entitled to do what he likes, don't you think?" I have never thought about it like that before. I like the thought of being able to do what I want and not get into trouble. I think he can see the doubt in my eyes, since his face lights up a bit.

"Tell you what, if you keep this little secret, I'll give you a gold piece. Just don't tell my wife about this." I think about his offer for a moment. It's not like he is hurting anyone with what he is doing. The woman seems to like it a lot. Maybe I should take his coin. No harm in keeping a little secret. Theresa and I have tons of secrets we share with each other. Mr. Gown takes a gold piece from his pocket and presents it to me. I could use the coin to get Theresa her present. I take the coin and put it in my side pocket. Mum had fastened it to my trousers last week. Mr Gown smiles down at me as I accept the coin.

"Good lad! Here, have this gold piece. My advice to you, don't get tied down to one woman. Look after yourself. Forget everyone else!" Mr. Gown turns back to the mysterious woman and again his hand disappears in her trousers.

I really do not want to know more, so I turn around and make my way to the centre of the village. Emily's there too, probably still looking for her toy. In the town centre we have a tavern, a blacksmith and a goods trading post. Most of our daily supplies can be bought at any of these shops, but today they are closed. A few people are sitting on the bench enjoying the warm summer sun. Others are chatting or gossiping, mostly just going about their usual business. A Town Guard stands by the tavern entrance.

That's probably my fault. Well mine and Emily's brother, Mike. We broke into the tavern a few weeks ago and tried to steal a few of his pies. But instead Mike found a few barrels of drink. We tried a bit of the stuff the adults seem to enjoy so much, I nearly chocked on the burly flavour. Mike seemed keener on the stuff and downed a whole glass of it. He challenged me to drink a full glass too. Calling me a chicken. A few hours later one of the Town Guards burst into the tavern to find the both of us laughing hysterically about nothing at all. I don't remember what happened exactly but I do remember feeling really ill the next day. Mum and dad were very disappointed in me and I was no longer allowed to hang out with Mike anymore.

The town was bustling with noise. People talking birds chirping, the terrified screech of a chicken running away from me, the guards telling people to mind their own business and a trader shouting about. That's odd, most traders stay in Barrow Fields, the Traders camp next to our village. Maybe he was new, or hadn't sold enough so he came to the village instead of having them come to him.

"Many lovely things!" he yells. He's sporting the trademark Trader moustache, big and glorious. I guess I must have been staring again because his eyes land on me and a look of recognition crosses his face. He waves me over.

"Hello lad! I'm a trader, I wander the world buying and selling wares, especially to fine folk like your good self." I snort at that, of course he only talks to me so I'll buy his wares. Dad taught me not to buy stuff from strangers so I eyed him warily.

"Some little girl I saw said that you have a sister, and it's her birthday. And it seems you haven't got her a present yet." Probably Emily who told him about Theresa's birthday. She is such a trusting sweet girl. Unlike her older brother Mike. He is a bully, kind of. Maybe part of the reason why I'm not allowed to hang out with him anymore.

"It just so happens that I have a rather nice box of sweets here. Guaranteed to put a smile on any sister's face, for only three gold pieces." The trader continued. Three gold pieces! I only had one. But dad said he'd give me a gold coin for every good deed I did. So I only needed to do two good deeds. That should be a piece of cake.

I know I shouldn't take things from strangers, but what can be wrong with a box of chocolates. Besides, he already knows for who they are. With a look of determination I turn around. My goal is clear now. Making sure I earn at least three gold pieces so I can buy Theresa some chocolates. Looking down at my new pocket, my I smile, Theresa would love the chocolates. Dad always said there was no girl alive who could resist chocolate. Another voice interrupts my thoughts. I recognized the yell as Mrs. Gown's.

"Honestly, where's that filthy layabout husband of mine?" she yells. I walk over to her. She looks really angry. But then again, she almost always looks angry, most of the time at her husband. She continues talking to no one in particular.

"Hmpf. With some woman I don't doubt!" I see a flash of hurt cross her face. She too has blond hair, like the other woman. But Mrs. Gown has her hair in a ponytail. She always works very hard around the house and the bun keeps her hair out of her eyes. She spots me and her ranting grows in volume.

"I run his house, bring up his children, and what do I get in return? Nothing!" I feel bad for her. She does always work very hard. She has two young children and makes sure the house is spotless. Mr. Gown is supposed to be working, he had said. That himself. But if he isn't working, that means there will be no money. Suddenly I feel a little guilty about accepting his gold coin to keep my mouth shut. Mrs. Gown looks me in the eyes and for a moment I think she sees the guilt in my eyes.

"If you find him, let me know, won't you?" This is my chance. My chance to make it right. I know I don't always make the best decisions but now I knew what to do. Slowly I nod my head.

"You have?" She sounds surprised. Again I nod, and I point her in the direction of her husband. A flash of anger crosses her face but when she looks back at me she smiles softly. Then she runs off. I hear her scream something about turning Mr. Gown into Balverine food. I know it is a figure of speech, but still I shiver. Balverines are vicious wolf like creatures who can eat a man whole, at least that's what dad always says. I have never actually seen one before.

I run after her towards the third house on the street. For a moment I wanted to have a look and see if she really will turn him into Balverine food, but I decide against it. I should tell my dad about this first. I run past the house and still I can hear Mrs. Gown yell at her husband. As I pass, I catch only a few things of what she says to him. Something about chopping them right off. I don't know what she means with that. As I expected, dad is still waiting for me at our house. Smiling I increase my speed, but when I reach him I see a frown on his face. Uh oh. Perhaps I am in trouble after all.

"Hmm. I'm a man of my word, so here's the gold for your good deeds." He says as he hands me a gold coin.  
"But if you think I'm turning a blind eye to your mischief, you're very wrong!" He must have heard of my deal with Mr. Gown. Again my dad sighs and looks down at me.

"Look, try to keep out of trouble, please. For me." Dad hates it when I get myself into trouble. With mum away all the time, he has to take care of Theresa and me. I show him my brightest smile and I can see a hint of amusement on his face. He knows I'll try harder. Once again I set off to find some chores. As I pass the tavern, the barns come into view. The stable boy runs up to me.

"Oh, thank goodness. Listen lad, listen could you do me a favour. I've got to… er, you know, answer a call of nature. Stay here and watch this stock for me, there's a good lad. Just stand between those two stacks and don't move! I'll put in a good word for you when I get back. Right won't be long!" He runs off before I can actually agree to help him and I'm left standing in front of the barns. I don't know what he's on about with his call of nature, but it is an easily deserved coin when he gets back. A young boy, around Emily's age, maybe 5 or 6 years old emerges from behind one of the barns and smirks at me. Creepy little kid.

"My cousin says that the barrels in these warehouses might have stuff in them. Quick while he's away, smash his barrels up and see what's inside. Unless you're too scared, unless you're just a big blubbing girl." the kid challenges me. I try not to give in to his teasing. Calling me a big, blubbing girl. He obviously never had to deal with my sister when she's angry. Or my mother, for that matter. I attempt to ignore him, but he continues to try and persuade me.

"Come on, let's go and break stuff." Maybe if I pretend I can't hear him he'll go away.

"Are you just gonna stand there like a lemon?" Yep, just like a lemon, a simple lemon who will not get into trouble.

"But being good is so boring. Ah you're no fun at all." he scoffs at me. The little brat. But I can already see the stableman returning. The brat scampers off again before he is seen. Perhaps he's gotten into trouble before.

"Excellent! Thanks, lad. You've done me a big favour. I'll let your dad know what a splendid watchman you made." The stableman smiles at me. All right another good deed done. Now I need to find dad again and I'll have enough money to buy those chocolates.

As I walk back towards the centre of the village I can hear mike yelling.  
"Stupid little idiots! I want more pocket money!" Maybe I should stay out of this. But I hear Emily crying and another boy whimpering, so I decide to see what the fuss is about. When I reach them I can see Emily crying behind a boy, Benny I think his name was, or was it Billy? Mike is standing in front of them in a threatening pose. He is almost 9 and rather big for his age. The boy sees me and both him and Emily run towards me.

"Get him off me! Please help! He goes around the town beating up anyone smaller than him. But you look strong. I bet you could scare him off for good!" Emily is nodding in agreement. Her face is stained with tears. I don't like to see her cry. It makes her blue eyes a puffy red and her mouth coarse. I turn towards Mike to hear him out. But mostly to gather up my courage to stand up to him. A real Hero is brave. I should be brave too if I want to become a Hero, like in my dreams.

"What do you want? I'm just dealing with this brat. He was irritating me, playing with my sister and her stupid teddy bear. Now he won't give it to me, just because I said I'd rip its stupid head off. I told him, if he doesn't do what I say, I'm going to make his life a misery." I begin to see why mum and dad don't want him around Theresa and me. He really is just a mean bully. Emily and the boy are behind me, though Emily has stopped crying and is looking at me with hope in her eyes. I walk up to Mike and draw a deep breath. Then without warning I hit him hard in the face. He screams and I hit him again, this time in his stomach. Again he cries out, he isn't even trying to stop me. Maybe he is not used to people standing up to him. I hit him a third time before he changes his mind and beats me to a pulp. He is bigger than I am, and I'm sure he could beat me up if he puts his mind to it. Mike puts his hands up and for a moment I think he is going to lash out at me, so I give him my hardest kick and he drops to his knees.  
"Ow that hurts!" He cries out as he stands up again. I take on another fighting pose and I can see him ducking. Hah, I win!

"I'm sorry, I'll leave him alone. Just please don't hit me again!" Mike gives me one last careful look before running off. The boy tugs at my sleeve catching my attention.

"Thank you! You stopped him good! Thank you." The smile he gives me is contagious and I can feel myself smiling back at him. My chest swells with pride and I puff it out to look more buff than I really am. Then he hands me something, a bear. A bear with a blue patch! Rosie!

"Here I'll let you look after Rosie. She'll be safe with you." So he had Rosie all along? But why didn't he just give it to Emily? I turn around but Emily is nowhere to be found. Maybe she ran off when I started fighting her brother. I should look for her and return Rosie to her. I'd like to see her smile at me again. Maybe it'll make up for hurting her brother. The boy waves at me as I run off.

The village centre is the safest place, with multiple guards around, so it is my best bet as to where Emily might have gone too. As I reach the centre I can see her behind the big tree. Slowing down to a jog I stop in front of her. She looks scared but her face lights up when she sees me. I smile down at her and present her the bear.

"You found Rosie! Thank you so much!" The smile she gives me is absolutely worth it.

Her whole face lights up and her eyes sparkle like the sky. The soft blue no longer holds any of the redness from before. Suddenly she jumps to me and her small arms are wrapped around my waist. She is hugging me tight. For a brief moment, I am not sure what to do, so slowly I pat her on the back. She lets go and looks up with a bright smile still on her face. Then she smiles down at her beloved toy and walks off whilst talking to it.

"Come on Rosie, let's change your stuffing" she no longer has any thoughts for me, all forgotten now that she has been reunited with her toy. Satisfied I turn towards my home. I can't wait to tell dad about this. I feel like a Hero.

With great haste I reach my house and I can see dad laughing at my enthusiasm. He must have seen me with Emily down the road. Apparently he views standing up to Mike and returning Rosie to Emily as good deeds too. So that leaves me with three more coins. One from the barns and another two from Emily and her friend.

"Well I think you may have enough there son. Have you spoken to the Trader yet?" I look up at him in confusion, normally I am not allowed to buy from strangers. But now he is actually telling me to go to this Trader. Maybe they know each other. I really shouldn't waste more time. Mum will be back later this afternoon so I should hurry up if I want to find Theresa before her party starts. As quickly as I can, I run towards the Trader. Hopefully he still has those sweets.

When I reach him, he greets me with a smile.

"You're lucky, I've still got these sweets. Quickly. Give me three gold pieces now and they're yours." I hand him three of my 5 gold pieces, and accept the chocolates.

"Young sir, they are yours. Wish your sister a happy birthday from me now, won't you?" He asks me to whish Theresa a happy birthday, but I still don't know who this man is apart from being a Trader. Maybe he does know my parents after all. No matter, I have my chocolates, or should I say Theresa's chocolates. I should hurry to her. She is probably still in the farm fields near the Barrow Field gate. She plays there often, so she can see mother first when she returns.

When I reach the gate I can see Theresa playing in the fields, she doesn't seem to notice me walking up to her. Just when I'm about to touch her shoulder, she turns around and faces me. A knowing smile lingers on her face and her red hair shines bright in the sun. Her hair is up in two pigtails and is a vibrant red, just like mums.  
"Hello little brother, I hope you haven't forgotten what day it is, like you did last year." I cringe at that. Why will nobody ever let me forget that? Maybe because I will. Hah! She purses her lips and her eyes darken for a split second.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up last night, it was another of those dreams. I was standing in this field when something happened, but I can't remember what." She apologises for her nightmares. Truth is, they scare even me sometimes, I only wish I could help with them. But she is so quick to dismiss them. And just as quickly her worried look is replaced with a smile once again.

"Never mind that though, I'm still waiting for my present…" Oh right I almost forgot. I have been holding them behind my back so she wouldn't see them. When I present her the sweets her smile widens.

"I knew you were going to bring me chocolates! It's just like my dream, come on let's go home, mother will be back for my party any minute now." Wait she knew?! Typical. The one time I think I can surprise her and she knows. Oh well. I shrug as I turn around leaving the fields. I turn around to Theresa, willing her to hurry up, but the look on her face stops me. She looks confused, scared even. Then her wide eyes find mine.

"Wait. There's something wrong…" she says as she walks towards me, reaching out as to hold me back. It is then I hear him. A man from Barrow Fields comes running towards us screaming.

"Bandits!" he has almost reached me as he looks back to what is behind him. Suddenly he stops, his eyes wide and an arrow sticks out of his chest. I hadn't even seen him being hit. But before I know precisely what is going on he falls down before me. Theresa's voices jerks me back to the here and now, her voice sounds higher than I remember, more scared.

"It's really happening! There here! You've got to hide!" She does not have to tell me twice. Reaching for the fence I jump over it and hide behind a bush. The leaves give good shelter with their dark colour and thick growth. The summer has been kind to the flora around the town. I peek through the dark green leaves and I can see the man still laying there. Another man approaches the… the corpse and gives it a good kick. I can also see a woman who had run up to see what the commotion was all about. I try to warn her but the words are caught in my throat. Before I can regain myself a flash of steel connects with the woman and suddenly all I can see is red. It takes me a moment before I realize that it is blood. The woman falls to the ground, her lifeless cold eyes staring into mine. I hear a small gasp and I frantically look around to find its source, only to find out I made the sound. I clasp a hand over my mouth to silence myself. I can't let them find me!

Evil had come to Oakvale, bandits wielding torches and steel, slaying and burning all in their path. Blood red flames lit the night, as the villagers screamed and begged for mercy. And soon their bodies filled the streets. Then the raiders reached the last house where the boy and his family lived. It was them they had slaughtered so many to find. The father fought to protect his kin, but he was no worrier and fell mortally wounded. The bandits ripped the house apart, but could not find the boy. Through torture and threats his mother and sister remained silent and their furious raiders took them both. From the nearby woods the boy watched as all he knew was taken away

His whole life was crushed to ashes. He was alone.


	2. Chapter 2 The Heroes Guild

Chapter 2. The Heroes Guild

Evil had come to Oakvale, bandits wielding torches and steel, slaying and burning all in their path. Blood red flames lit the night, as the villagers screamed and begged for mercy. And soon their bodies filled the streets. Then the raiders reached the last house where the boy and his family lived. It was them they had slaughtered so many to find. The father fought to protect his kin, but he was no worrier and fell mortally wounded. The bandits ripped the house apart, but could not find the boy. Through torture and threats his mother and sister remained silent and their furious raiders took them both. From the nearby woods the boy watched as all he knew was taken away

His whole life was crushed to ashes. He was alone.

Screams fill my ears and I see the sky turn red with blood and fire. I can hear the bandits laughing manically and I hear swords cleaving through flesh and bone. The sounds are nauseating. My stomach roils and I try not to hurl. I close my eyes and cover my ears to drown out the noise and reality of what is happening. And for the first time in forever, I pray. I pray to Avo to save us all.

I don't know if I have been sitting here for minutes or hours, but suddenly the screams stop. Only the roaring fire of burning houses can still be heard. I risk a peek over the fence and immediately wish I hadn't. The streets are littered with bodies, people of my village, my neighbours. My friends. I choke back a cry. Tears well up in my eyes but I force myself to blink them away. No time for crying, I have to find my family!

Slowly I try to stand up, but my legs feeling like they are made of lead. Slow and unwilling to move. Yet I have to find my family, I have to make sure they are ok. Slowly with trembling legs I stand up. Grasping the fence next to me as if it is my last hope. Taking one careful step after another I make my way out of the fields. The man who had been shot, lays before my and I tried not to look into his cold dead eyes. Somehow, they seem to follow me. Sidestepping, I evade the body and make my way up the hill. It was the fastest way home. I don't want to spend any more time in the open than I absolutely have to.

The wooden bridge lays ahead of me, another corpse lays at the base. The roof of the bridge is on fire and for a moment I fear it may not be possible to cross it. Afraid it might break down entirely while I cross it, I move backwards a few paces. The flames burn hot and sweat rolls down my neck and face. I swallow and take a deep breath, the floor is not burning yet, and if I run quickly I might make it. Taking another deep breath, I sprint across the bridge, looking only ahead. Not up towards the flames, not sideways where I could see the town burning, not down, out of fear I might trip and fall. Only ahead towards the other side. I am almost there. With one last leap, I make it through the flaming bridge, just in time. I look back briefly only to see the roof collapse and taking part of the floorboard with it in its fiery downfall.

After having watched the bridge collapse on itself, I turn to look ahead. My house is almost within reach. The flames reach high into the sky, like a beacon I follow it until my house comes into view. Frantically I look for my family. But it is difficult to look beyond the flames. Despair rises in me causing my sight to turn blurry from unshed tears, until I see a single body on the ground in front of my home. The sight of it makes me pause. I recognize this body. It looks an awful lot like my dad. But that cannot be. Dad is always there to save the day! He will help me! And mom will come too. This can't be him. My feet move on their own account. Bringing me closer in an agonizingly slow pace. And with every step I take, my despair grows.

At last, I stand over his body, my eyes wide and filled with tears. My legs collapse beneath me and I can no longer stop the tears from falling. I sob loudly into my father's chest until a scream makes me jump. I jerk up and see a straggler bandit coming towards me, sword raised. He is closing in on me but I remain seated next to my father. Frozen in time I stare at my oncoming doom. The bandit raises his sword higher, getting ready for the killing blow, when I hear a loud crackle and a bright light shines behind the bandit, lighting him in a halo of white. Then, he falls. In his place an even larger man walks towards me. He is covered in glowing tattoos, his eyes an icy blue and a strong jawline. He wears strange clothes, more vibrant colours than anyone from the village. Grey hair streaked back covers most of his head and he wears a purple robe with blue under tunic. He looks at me curiously. Is he here to kill me? To finish the job? I try to formulate a question but when I open my mouth, he speaks.

"We must leave, it's not safe here." Leave? I don't want to leave, this is my home, burned and dead it may be but I will not leave my home. I look around for my mother and Theresa.

"They're all dead, you don't want to join them, do you?" A sob escapes me and I scold myself for appearing weak in front of this stranger. I shake my head. No I do not want to join the dead. His serious face shows no emotion other than slight annoyance.

"Then give me your hand." I don't trust him, but I have nowhere else to go. He is right, if I stay, the bandits might still find me. I stretch out my hand cautiously towards him. Keeping a wary eye on his every move. He takes my hand and suddenly we are both engulfed in a blue light. The world around me begins to shift and I feel my stomach protest against the twisting colours and the dizzying feeling. I close my eyes tightly, trying to block the spinning view. But it only makes the dizziness worse.

When I open my eyes, we are no longer in Oakvale. Again, my stomach roils and I can no longer keep its contents down. Bending over I empty my stomach on the ground beneath me. After what seems like an eternity, there is nothing left in me, yet still I continue to hurl. My throat burns and my head feels light. The man who did this to me looks down on me, he looks disappointed.  
"Hmm I thought you had a stronger stomach than that. Come on." He grabs my arm. Anger bubbles up in me and I pull away from him. How dare he?! Taking me from my home and berating me on throwing up after all I've been through. I make a move to hit him, but my body is slow, still dizzy, and weak from whatever the man did, and he easily evaded me. He lets out an aggravated sigh.

"Save your energy boy, it's not me you want to fight. You might not realise it but I just saved your life." My hands drop to my sides, my shoulders drooping.

"There is nothing left for you in Oakvale. And if you'd stay you'd be as dead as the rest of them." Although I do not want to admit it, he is right. Without even looking at me, he walks off.

"Come with me." He presses on and it takes me a moment to catch up. What choice do I have but to follow this strange man? Without sparing me even a sideways glance, he continues.

"My name is Maze, and I am the head of the Guild of Heroes. You must have heard of it." Wait! The head of the Heroes Guild saved my life? I look at him in awe. He is not what I expected a head of Heroes to look like. Yes, he is very tall and strong but I have seen many men much more bulky then he is. Once a knight passed through the village and he was as big as a mountain. With tattoos covering his whole body, not shining like his. This man looks more like a scholar. We had just passed a fork in the road when he speaks again.

"You'll find nowhere safer in all of Albion, nor a better place to call your home. And if it's vengeance you want, you need training that only we can offer." He is taking me to the Heroes Guild. Would they really train me? He did say I could get my vengeance with their training. A flicker of hope lights up in me. Maze keeps steady pace and I have to walk fast to keep up with his long strides. Suddenly we stop in front of a huge building.

To our left there is a sort of platform with a red carpet. The double doors that stand before us both have a Sigel on them. Just like the one Maze wears on his waist. The Guild seal. I have seen it before in a book. I have always dreamed of becoming a Hero, of coming here to train. But now that I am here, I feel alone, weak. Not at all like a Hero should feel. I miss my family. Maze turns to me and his serious face softenes slightly.

"Here we are. I'll introduce you to the Guildmaster, he'll be your guide from now on." We enter the building and we find ourselves in a big round hallway. Two stairs are on each side of the room and I can see multiple other hallways connected to this room. A grand table stands in the centre. The top of the table looks uneven, and it has multiple colours. It doesn't look useful to me. You will not be able to put much on it, it is way too rough for that. But as we approach the room I get a better look at this table. It's a map! A giant map of Albion. The big lumps I spotted from the doorway are mountains. I stare at it in awe, not realizing that Maze has no patience for me gawking and has crossed the room already. Quickly I run after him. Maze has stopped in front of another man and the two nod at each other in acknowledgement.

The man in front of us is smaller than Maze. He wears a blue robe with leather padded shoulders and yellow sleeves. His gloves are also blue with gold crests on top. Balding and with a grey moustache, he does not look like a Hero either. Is this the right Guild of Heroes? Maze turns to the old man, completely ignoring me.

"I have a new student for you, put him in the dorm upstairs with the girl." With the girl? What girl?

The Guildmaster's voice snaps me back to attention.

"You don't look much like hero material to me, but Maze knows what he's doing, I suppose." Maze has already disappeared without even saying goodbye. I try to puff out my chest to look more buff than I am. But the Guildmaster is not fooled by it and I let my breath out again. My shoulders sack and I feel more alone than I have ever felt before. Then the Guildmaster turns around and ascends the stairs.

"Well, follow me then." He calls to me. We ascend the stairs on the right side of the room and enter some sort of dormitory. Bookcases take up most of the walls but there are also a lot of beds. Some are occupied by young men and women. Some are reading on the bed and others are fast asleep. One particular guy is laying on his back, his hand hangs on the side and the other across his stomach. His pillow, probably long forgotten, lies on the floor next to his dangling hand. He is snoring very loudly, a sound like a sawmill escapes his wide-open mouth. I can see a bit of drool dripping from it. He is also still wearing his tunic. A white shirt and pants with green strips on the ends. Another man enters, he is wearing the same tunic, only his has red stripes.

The Guildmaster leaves the dormitory and we enter another room. This one is smaller than the one we came from. Just four beds are placed in this room. A few bookcases stand on each side of the beds. The Guildmaster walks up to the first bed on our left side and halts there. He turns to me, gesturing towards the bed.

"You'll be sharing this room with Whisper, one of our brightest young pupils. She is playing in the woods now, but you'll meet her in the morning. For now you should get some sleep, your training starts tomorrow." And with that, he leaves the room.

I sit on the bed and I grip the scratchy blanket with one hand. Dread fills me as the events of today cloud my mind. An image of my dad laying on the street, while our house burns to the ground flashes before my eyes. My dad is dead. My family is gone, my home burned. Tears fill my eyes as I try to push these images away. But it is no use, I let my emotions overwhelm me and I start crying. Deep sobs escape me. I cry until I have no more tears to shed. Spent and exhausted, I let myself fall back on the bed and pull the rough, red blanket over my body.

Maybe if I wake up tomorrow, all will be fine. All of today will have been just a horrible nightmare. Theresa will wake me up like always and dad will give me chores. I close my eyes tightly and try to banish all thoughts, but it is no use. The flames keep finding their way back to my mind. With only the flames in my mind, sleep overtakes me. Nightmares of my burning village fill my dreams, and the screams of the dying haunt me. I dream of the raid, of Theresa running off, the man and woman being killed, and of my parents being butchered by bandits.

"It's time to wake up!" a girl's voice wakes me up. For a moment I think it is Theresa waking me up, and I wake up with a smile. But when I take in my surroundings, reality comes crushing down on me and all of yesterday's events return to me. I am still in the Guild, my home is still gone. I look at the girl in front of me. Her skin is dark and her eyes a rich brown. She is also wearing a white tunic with blue stripes. She also wears a blue headband, keeping her black hair in place. She looks down at me with amusement.

"You must be my roommate, hmm shorter than I expected. My name's Whisper, I have been here for a month, had the room to myself 'till now too, but that's alright." Well, I'm sorry that my ruined life stands in the way of you having the room to yourself little miss bossy. I roll my eyes at her.

"You know you talk in your sleep? Sounded like a bad nightmare." I blush at that. I don't want to tell her about my nightmare. At least not yet anyway. But she does not ask about it. She smiles sympathetically at me.

"Happens to a lot the first week. Some don't even last that long." Her face suddenly turns serious.

"You won't either if you don't get moving, the Guildmaster is waiting for us in the map room. You don't want to be late on your first day, follow me!" The Guildmaster is waiting for me? The girl, Whisper, has almost left the room before I realize she wants me to follow. I hurry after her, afraid I might get lost. She leads me back the same way I entered yesterday and we stop at the big round room with the map table. We are the only ones here. She turns to me with a thoughtful expression. I notice her nose twitches a bit when she thinks.

"Hmm. Looks like the Guildmaster got tired of waiting for you. He's probably at the training grounds across the river. Let's go." Again she sets off. I follow closely. We exit the aptly named 'map room' and enter what looks like a dining room. Long tables with benches fill the room and at the end stands a large bar. The dining area is filled with people. Most wearing the white tunic with either red, blue or green stripes. I see a few maids waiting on tables. As I have been observing the room I failed to notice that Whisper has already left through the door. I gain my senses and run after her. I think she took the door opening on the right.

As I exit the dining room, I find myself in what looks like a court yard. A small river runs straight through it and there are three bridges across. I spot Whisper crossing the closest to me and I run to catch up with her. I look around with wide eyes. On our left there is another large building with a shooting area. Straw dummies with arrows sticking out of them are scattered across the place. We pass the shooting range and walk up to a small fence. The Guildmaster is standing next to it. He smiles at us.

"You've finally prised yourself from your pillow I see." I can hear Whisper snickering next to me and I shoot a glare her way. She either ignores it or does not see it because she just smiles at me and runs off waving goodbye at us. Now only the Guildmaster and I remain. He turns to me.

"Now it's time to see if you have any potential. Get in the ring and we'll see what you can do." I do as I'm told and enter the large wooden ring lying on the floor. A straw dummy stands in the middle of the ring.

"Now then, I want you to hit that dummy as hard as you can. Just keep going till I tell you to stop." I try and hit the dummy, the straw is packed tight and it hurts my hand a little when I hit it. I try a different angle, but still nothing much happens. Anger rises in me at the defiant dummy and I start throwing punches at it left and right. Kicking and scratching until I faintly hear the Guildmaster telling me to stop. A little out of breath, I stop my assault on the offending straw puppet.

"Not making much of an impact there are you. Here try with this." I walk over to the Guildmaster and he hands me a stick. I toss the stick from one hand to the other before positioning myself in front of the dummy once again. I take another deep breath and give it my best shot. I attack the dummy with my new weapon and I can see bits of straw getting loose. I notice the strings on the left arm are getting loose. I swing my stick back for an extra powerful swing, and hit the dummy hard on the left shoulder. I yell in success as its arm breaks off. I try looking for anymore weak spots. A bit of rot has formed on the neck of the dummy, must have laid in a wet spot or something. Again I use my stick to hit the dummy, this time its head comes off too.

With two limbs missing it starts to fall apart slightly. This time I do not hold back, or look for weak spots. This time I'm going all out and hit the dummy in every way I can think off. Before I know it, the dummy falls apart and a green orb appears in its place. I turn around and look to the Guildmaster to tell me what to do next.

"Ah, now that's more like it. When you defeat an enemy like this dummy, it drops an experience orb. These orbs contain the knowledge from killing the creature. It is very important that you collect these orbs or you won't learn anything. Now pick it up" I turn back towards the green orb. Am I just supposed to pick it up? What am I to do with it when I have it? Do I store them somewhere? The whole thing sounds fishy to me, but I shrug and walk towards the funny looking thing. When I do though, the orb suddenly shoots towards me and floats up to my chest. Then, it disappears in my body. I take a step back, scared at what just happened, but suddenly I can feel a warmth in me. A memory flashes before my eyes. I hit the dummy on the shoulder and neck where the weak spots were. Then in the blink of an eye, my vision returns to normal. Quickly, I walk up to the Guildmaster, he smiles reassuringly at me.

"Well done lad. Now then, tomorrow we will…" He is interrupted by the tolling of bells. He turns his head towards the sound, then back at me again.

"That's the Guild Alarm. Sounds like there might be something loose in the woods." He stops, a considering look crosses his face. His moustache twitching from left to right. I stifle a giggle at this.

"This is a good opportunity to test your spirit. I'll wait for you at the Guild woods entrance while you deal with the problem." Wait? I am supposed to deal with this so called problem?! A problem the Guild alarms are ringing about?! Are they nuts?! I look at the Guildmaster in disbelieve, but he ignores me and walks off. I follow him still sporting a look of disbelieve. The Guildmaster leads me to an entrance left of the ring I have just been training in.

"Once you're done we can talk about starting your training." So basically, this is just another test? Great. I roll my eyes at him. The Guildmaster gestures towards the woods that lay beyond the gate. I swallow my fear and grip my stick tightly. I walk forward and suddenly find myself in a small wood. A clear path lies before me and I can hear the murmuring of a small stream. Birds fly overhead and are nesting in the trees around me. Cautiously, I move forward, taking in as much as I can. I nearly jump out of my skin when a squirrel drops an acorn on my head. Trying to calm my out of control heart, I take a deep breath. Relax, if they send an inexperienced eight year old to deal with something, how hard can it be? That, or they send me here to die.

As I continue down the path, I notice a buzzing sound. I think I'm getting closer, the buzzing seems to grow louder the deeper I walk into the woods. Suddenly I spot a huge beetle. It crawls around slowly. This one seems to be silent though. I walk further, careful to be as quiet as I can. After I have taken a few steps, more beetles appear. It looks like a nest. Some are flying about. I guess that's what's making the buzzing noise. The sound is loudest here. For a moment I think about how I am to deal with these monstrous insects.

"Use your stick." The sound of the Guildmaster's voice surprises so much I fall backwards and land heavily on my butt. Frantically, I look around for the old man. It takes me a moment to realize his voice was in my head. With shaking hands I take my stick. I had put it in one of the hoops on my pants. How did he do that? Maybe he is some sort of Wizard.

I get to my feet and brush the dirt of my pants. I had dropped the stick when I fell, so I picked it back up, holding it in my right hand like a sword. Slowly I approach the beetles. The one closest has its back to me and slowly crawls forward. With a mighty swing I hit the beetle on the side. It flies to the side and hits a tree with a loud crunch. Then it falls down and from its body, it springs one of those green orbs. Yes! One down!

The other beetles have noticed me and are circling me now. I look around and I can count 5 of them around me. I take them out one by one, hitting them each with my stick. After I have killed 7 of the beetles I try and collect the orbs they have dropped. I have collected two of them when I am overwhelmed with a powerful feeling. Images of me killing the bugs flash through my head and I see the orbs coming towards me. I blink back the flashes. A few of the orbs still remain, in my vision the orbs came to me instead of the other way around. Maybe if I concentrate they will come to me? I try to focus my mind on the orb in front of me, I squint my eye a little in concentration. I am almost about to give up when the orb speeds towards me and disappears in my chest. Yes! I try again with the remaining orbs. This time it is much easier.

I look around the woods. It seems like all is well again, but I get the nagging feeling that I forget something. I try to shrug off the feeling but something is bugging me. Like a faint buzz. I start to walk back towards the exit when I spot another three beetles. Two black ones like the others. But the last one is bigger, with large antlers and an angry red colour. I guess I'm not done yet.

I hold out my stick in front of me. Both hands gripping it tightly. With an angry buzzing the large red beetle comes towards me and I hit it hard with my stick to the left. It bounces of the fence and lands on its back. There it struggles to get upright. I take this moment to charge the other two beetles. I knock them both out quit easily and turn my attention back on the red beetle. By now it has managed to get itself upright again. It waves its antlers at me and I try to stab it. The beetle catches my stick with its antlers and tries to jerk it out of my hands. I pull back with all my might but it won't let go. I look around for something else. Anything that I can use to kill this stupid beetle with. I spot a sharp rock on the ground. Letting go of my stick I jump towards the rock and grab it. The beetle falls back, not expecting me to let go. And I use its moment of confusion to throw my stone at its face. I hit it right between the eyes and it drops my stick. It lets out a cry of pain. Once again I pick up my stick and hit the beetle. It screams again. I keep hitting it until I can see the big green orb leaving its body. I focus on the orb and absorb, it like before. Suddenly, the Guildmasters voice rings in my head again and I am slightly taken aback by its sudden appearance.

"Good work lad, the beetles are all dead. You can come out of the woods now." I try to look around for the Guildmaster, even though I know he is not here. It is still unnerving, hearing him in my head like that. I put my stick pack in the loose loop of my pants and make my way back towards the gateway. I can already see the Guildmaster waiting for me. I smile as I run up to him, he answers my smile with one of his own.

"Good work lad, those beetles can be a damn nuisance. Here, I think you've earned yourself some pocket money for that." He pats me on the head, then he reaches into his robe and takes out a small brown leather pouch. He hands it to me and the weight of it surprises me. There must be a lot of coins in here. I try not to let my shock show.

"If you want more gold I'm sure the servants could use your help with something, or you could get an early night. Come and see me when you're ready." The Guildmaster looks at me patiently. I ty the money pouch to my side and look around for a moment. Maybe I can find Whisper and play with her. The Guildmaster sees my wandering eyes and smiles gently at me. I think he understands.

I walk off to find Whisper. The big building next to the archery range looks like a good spot to begin. As I enter, I am almost run over by a woman. Just in time I can evade her, but she does not apologize or anything. How rude. I glare at her, but she has already disappeared. I turn around, the room is has a few bookcases to the left. Tables and a couple of cooking places are spread around the room. I notice a redheaded woman staring sadly at one of the tables. I walk up to her thinking maybe I can be of help. She doesn't notice me when I stand next to her, so I tap her on the shoulder. Her head jerks up and het red ponytail whips around. I give her a questioning look.

"I have to make an apple pie for the Guildmaster at the end of the week. But I can't find any more red apples. I only need another four." I think I saw a few apples lying about. I guess I could get them for her while looking for Whisper.

"If you find enough can you bring them back here? I'll reward you." That attracts my attention. I can get these apples for her in no time. I nod at her and run off. I remember seeing some apples near the Guildwood Entrance. With newfound determination I run off towards the Guildwoods. Three apples laying left and right. I pick up the two nearest and make for the third. When I reach out, the apple is snatched away. Annoyed I look up, only to find Whisper smirking at me taking a crunching bite out of the apple. I send a glare her way.

"Oh you wanted this apple? Too bad then." She laughs. With a harrumph I turn away from her.

"Ah don't be like that, there are plenty more. Come I'll show you around the Guild and we can pick up more apples on our way." She walks off without looking if I follow. This is not how I thought it would go, but this is fine too.

Together we make our way through the Guild, with Whisper showing me everything and at each new place we reach she tells me a little something about it. First she points out the training spots.

"This is where the Archers train. I prefer my staff." I haven't seen her fight before, but something tells me that will change soon. Next we walk towards where the Guildmaster and I have been training.

"This is the Melee ring, here we learn how to fight in close combat." Two apprentices are fighting each other with swords. Up close it looks different than the way I imagined it in my dreams. Whisper has already moved on and we pass a statue and a few training dummies next to the river. We spot another red apple and Whisper throws it at me. It hits me on the head and she laughs at me. Again she picks up the apple and this time she just hands it to me. To our left is another bridge leading to a small island with more dummies on it.

"This is where Heroes focus their Will Powers." I don't know what Will Power is, but I think it has something to do with magic. Behind the Island there are two waterfalls with a door in between. The door is shaped like a giant bearded face, it looks so lifelike. It is a bit creepy, to be honest. Between the door and the training area flows the small river and the two places are connected by stepping stones. A chest with the number 20 stands to our far left. And I spot another apple next to it. I run to pick it up. I give it to Whisper to put it in the bag she is carrying.

We turn back, passing the training apprentices again and cross the river on one of the three aligning bridges. To our left is a large tower. And straight ahead behind some shrubs are two men arguing. Whisper looks up towards the tower.

"Maze lives upstairs. Best stay away though, he's a scary man." She shudders a bit when she says this. I think back on the man Maze. He is tall and always looks like he is angry at something. His glowing blue eyes and tattoos give him a mysterious look. I think he was a Mage, but the chainmail under his blue and purple robes are more designed for close combat. Yes, Maze is someone I don't want to anger.

We leave quickly and Whisper stops in front of four tombs placed in a cross. Three of the four tombstones have engravings and the embodiment of a person in it. The fourth however remains empty. Left of the graves, three statues are standing. One sitting down, one standing tall and raising a sword and the third is a hooded figure. The whole place feels calm and serene and when I look over to Whisper I find her with a content look on her face.

"I like this part of the Guild. The cloisters are so quiet." She is right. Even though, people are training nearby, none of the noise reaches this place of the Guild. With one last look at the graves we continue. We walk through the 'cloister' as Whisper calls it, into a hallway. The hallway lead to what looks like a little shop, like we used to have in Oakvale. A memory of Mom taking Theresa and me to the shop takes me by surprise. I push back the memory, not willing to deal with the emotions they bring. Whispers voices saves the day.

"This is the Guild Shop. When you're older, you can buy stuff here." I take a look at the wares the shopkeeper has. Mostly it is just clothes and weapons. Nothing suitable for a child. We exit the shop to the left and suddenly we find ourselves back in the hallway leading to the maproom. Whisper takes me further into the Guild and we reach the room on the far right. My mouth falls open at the sight of all the books. The whole room is filled with overflowing bookcases. I have never seen so many before in my entire life.

"The library, you can learn a lot from the books here." No kidding. I bet they have every book in existence in this room. Before I get lost in the marvel of all the knowledge in this room, Whisper pulls me out and drags me towards the dining area we entered this morning.

"This dining room is where the main meals are served." She vaguely gestures towards all the benches and people eating. I try to get a good look but she is already pulling me away. We round the corner and Whisper pulls me up the stairs. We start running for a moment until we reach the dorms.

"These are the main dorms. Glad we don't have to sleep here, smells a bit funny." I learn there are a total of four dorms, two main ones and two for the younger students. The smallest is the one Whisper and I share. I am glad we don't have to share with more. After she has shown me all the dorms, we exit through the last main dorm to the balcony. It overlooks the training grounds of the Guild. We descend the stairs. Two doors are to our right, and the bridges are to our left. A statue of Maze stands between the two doors that lead to the dining room. I think we have seen most of the Guild by now. Only the large building next to the archery range remains. We cross the bridge and enter the building.

"The servants live in here." Makes sense that the servants of the Guild need a place to sleep too. I spot the woman who asked me for apples waving at me. We walk up to her and hand her four of the apples we've found. I keep the last one for myself.

"Thank you so much. The Guildmaster will get his pie. Here have this." She rewards us with a blueberry pie. Whispers eyes grow wide and I laugh at how comical she looks. Happily we sit down and each take a piece of our price. It tastes amazing, and I dig in, stuffing my pace with the delicious treat. Within no time at all I have finished my piece and I look up to see Whisper looking at me. She looks shocked for a moment, but then burst out laughing.  
"You should see your face! It is covered with pie!" She cries out.

"Do you always eat pie with your entire face?" by now she has tears in her eyes from laughing so hard. I blush slightly before wiping my face clean.

After we have both finished our pie we leave. Whisper leads me back towards the Guildwoods where the Guildmaster is waiting for me. Then she runs of waving goodbye. I turn towards the Guildmaster with a nervous smile. No more procrastinating now. The Guildmaster looks down at me with a serious look.

"Your training is about to begin. But you have many hard years of tasks and preparations beforehand."

The Guild was now the boy's life. The memory of the Oakvale raid flames still scorched his mind. But soon he had no thought other than training. And he became stronger and more agile with every passing year. His days were filled with gruelling exercises the nights with studying in the library. Finally, he was ready to become a Guild Apprentice. Just as Maze had foreseen. The real training was about to begin.


	3. Chapter 3 A Heroes' training

3\. A Heroes' training

The Guild was now the boy's life. The memory of the Oakvale raid flames still scorched his mind. But soon he had no thought other than training. And he became stronger and more agile with every passing year. His days were filled with gruelling exercises the nights with studying in the library. Finally he was ready to become a Guild apprentice. Just as Maze had foreseen. The real training was about to begin.

A loud voice rouses me from my dream.

"Get out of bed lazybones! We were supposed to meet the Guildmaster on the other side of the river." Damn Whisper, can't you find a more gentle way of waking me up other than screaming in my ear? I try glaring at her, but it proves in vain when I yawn.

"But that was an hour ago. We better get going." What? And she only just now decides to wake me up?! A glint of mischief sparkles in her dark brown eyes.

"Race you there!" And with that, she takes off. It takes me a moment to fully realize what has happened. But the moment my brain decides to kick in, I jump from my bed and race after her. No way that I'm being beaten by a girl! Let alone Whisper! I race after her and I catch a glimpse of her when she runs down the stairs towards the river. I grab the railing of the stairs and jump down form the top. With a heavy thud, I land on both my feet. I look back to see Whisper's glare. Haha, I love wiping that smug smile off her face. I take off again and run across the bridge. I can already see the Guildmaster waiting for us. I reach him just when Whisper has only just crossed the bridge. Hah! I am the fastest Apprentice in the Guild. With my arms raised in victory, I wait for Whisper. But the Guildmaster's voice interrupts my victory.

"Late again? You do seem to have a problem with getting up lad." A little bit embarrassed I drop my arms to my side and give the Guildmaster a sheepish grin.

"You can put that old stick away. We'll begin training with real weapons now. Get used to the weight of this sword. And let's see if you can hit Whisper with it." He hands me an Iron Longsword. I weigh the sword in my hand. It is much heavier than my stick. The edges aren't sharpened and it isn't well balanced. But it is my first real weapon. Whisper has already entered the Melee ring, she is holding her trusted staff. I enter the Melee ring and take my position across Whisper. Even though the blade isn't sharp, I still have to be careful. I don't want to hurt my friend. Whisper looks more confident than I feel.

"Come on then, let's see what you got. Farmboy!" She jeers. I glare at her, she knows I hate it when she calls me that. Ever since I told her of the day Maze took me to the Guild, she has been calling me by this nickname. I leap forward and swing my sword at her. The move is badly calculated and fuelled by annoyance. Whisper sidesteps and easily avoids my attack. I try to find her weak spots. With her staff she is able to keep me at a distance, and I have seen her using it to jump over her opponents. But if I can get close to her, the staff becomes less useful. Again I swing my sword, more to get a feel for it than to actually try and hit Whisper. She eyes me with caution.

"Come on then, Farmboy!" she tries to get me riled up, make mistakes. I take a deep breath to calm myself. I charge at her, but she uses her staff to jump over me. I follow her movements. She lands about a meter away from me, back towards me. She quickly rotates on her spot and once again takes a defensive position. I notice it takes her a moment to recompose herself after the jump. I can use this to my advantage. I grin. Whisper looks at me with a distrusting look. Unsure of what I'm thinking. I weigh the sword in my hand again, thinking of my next move. I notice Whisper moving from one foot to the other. She is getting impatient. Good. She is more likely to make mistakes now. I step forward and strike her with my sword, but she easily parries it with her staff. With every hit I give, I also take a step forward, inching closer and closer towards Whisper. She takes a few steps back. But soon I have her up against the wall. Exactly where I want her, she has only one move left. Like I predicted, she juts her staff in the ground before me and catapults herself over me. I hear her land directly behind me. In one swift turn, I swing my sword behind me and hit Whispers back with the flat side of my blade. She staggers forward and I take this opportunity to hit her again. Now that I am standing behind her with her back towards me, her staff is useless and I am free to hit her. After four more blows the Guildmaster calls out to us.

"Very good. Now pay attention. What I am about to teach you could well save your life one day. The life of a Hero is a dangerous one. And you must learn to block your enemies' attacks if you expect to live long. Whisper will try to hit you but you can block her attacks with your sword." I turn to look at Whisper and I can see her smirking at me. I guess it is payback time.

"Not all blows can be blocked, but you should be able to handle anything Whisper can throw at you." Once again, we take our positions opposite of each other in the Melee ring. I hold my sword in a defensive pose in front of me and watch as Whisper circles me. Without warning she propels herself to a spot behind me with her staff. This time I am to slow to react right away and I can feel her staff hitting me in the back. I use the force with which she hits me to roll forward. Away from her. Quickly, I get to my feet and find myself facing the wall of the Melee ring. Well, at least she won't be able to jump behind me with my back against the wall. I turn and face whisper again. She jabs a few times with her staff. I parry most of them but she manages to get a few hits. After she has hit me about four times, the Guildmaster calls out again.

"Well done. Now let's see if you can combine attack with defence." Whisper and I share a look, we have done this before with sticks, but never with real weapons. When we look back at the Guildmaster I can see someone approaching us. Tall and imposing in gold armour, sporting a golden lion-head helmet, this man is one of the tallest I have ever seen. His biceps are twice the size of my legs, and his skin is even darker than Whispers.

"Ah hello Thunder, come to check on your sisters progress have you?" The Guildmaster smiles, but he has to crane his neck back a bit to look up at the big man in front of him.

"You could say that. Whisper told me you have her training with some farmboy." I frown at this. I knew Whisper had a brother named Thunder, but this was the first time I had actually seen him. He was a graduate Hero, and was often away on quests. I did not like the way he used Whispers nickname for me, like it was something foul.

"Maze thinks the boy has great potential." The Guildmaster countered. My chest swelled a bit at that. It felt good to have the Guildmaster defending me. Thunder however, scowled at his remark.

"Enough to keep up with my Whisper? Phah!" He spat at the ground and I could feel anger growing inside of me. I'll show him!

"Well why don't we see? Whisper and the boy are just working on their Melee skills now." They both turned towards us. I could see Thunder winking at Whisper. She stretched her back, standing tall and proud.

"Alright children, let's see who has learned the most in their training. This will be a no holds bar duel. Just like your final Melee contest. Prepare yourselves." Once again, Whisper and I take our stances across from each other. We circle each other for a short moment before Whisper charges at me. I block her first attack with my sword, swinging her staff to the side. I take this moment to strike her. One zero for me! Whisper quickly recovers and she holds her staff towards me, keeping her distance now. I strike a few times with my sword, trying to coax her into attacking me, but she only parries. Whisper keeps her distance. I guess it is my turn to charge then. With a roll I try to come closer to her, but she jumps out of the way. Her long staff jabs me in the back. I duck and roll away. Damn. One, one. I can hear Thunder cheering. Whisper looks to her brother basking in his approval. Her distraction is all I need. I sprint towards her and hit her side with my blade. Then again to her shoulder. Thunder's smile has made place for a deep frown.  
"Come on girl! Get your guard up!" I laugh and hit Whisper again before she recovers. I can hear Whisper groan with frustration. She is getting more and more agitated. I know she wants to look good in front of her brother, but it weakens her concentration. And I will be damned if I don't take advantage of that. She swings her staff and aims for my head, I can only duck just in time. With a loud swoosh, I see it pass over me. Her swing is so powerful, that the momentum makes her swing too far. This makes her loose her balance. Quickly, I kick her feet from under her and she falls with an 'oomf' on the ground. I point my sword at her neck and hold it there. I look down at her triumphantly, but she only glares back at me. I put my sword away and hold out my hand to help her up. She hesitates before grabbing my hand and pulling herself up. We both take this time to catch our breath. Thunders booming voice breaks us out of our momentum of peace.

"That's all wrong Whisper, you need to practice more! Shame you couldn't see me fight in the Arena, you might have learned a thing or two. Keep training if you want to go there yourself one day." That's right! Thunder had just returned from The Arena. I believe that once a Hero has become known enough he will get an invitation for the Arena. If you win, you will win a lot of money, it also makes you quit famous. Thunder has already left when I hear whisper yell at the Guildmaster.

"I could have beaten him if you hadn't stopped us!" Beaten me? You were on your but with my sword at your throat. I scoff at her remark.

"We have few enough heroes as it is! Without the two of you tearing each other apart in training." The Guildmaster shouts. I think he is still mad about that one time Whisper 'accidently' broke my arm during training. After his outburst, he turns back to me.

"Speaking of which meet me as I make my way to the archery range when you're ready to continue your lessons. Now and about your melee performance. Excellent. Fight like that in your melee exam and you'll do well." My chest swells with pride and a bright smile lights my face. I nod at the Guildmaster, signalling that I'm ready to continue.

"Then meet me by the archery range to continue your training." I look back to Whisper, to see if she is still mad at me for beating her in front of her brother. It does not seem to faze her as she stands casually next to the Melee ring. She ushers me on with a smile. I return her smile and make my way to the archery range.

I arrive to find the Guildmaster already waiting for me there.

"Let's continue our training with the bow." He says as he hands me a bow and a quiver with arrows. I try the string of the bow a few times. It is nothing more than an ordinary Yew Longbow.

"To begin with, see if you can hit the tree stationary targets. And put some effort into it. The longer you will pull back your bow string the more damage it will cause. But make sure you stay within the circle." I look towards the archery range. Three dummies are still standing tall, while a few are broken and filled with arrows. I take one of my arrows and I try to take aim. My first target is the dummy closest to me. I pull back the string of the bow and with one deep breath, I let the arrow loose. I heard a loud thunk, and I see the arrow imbedded in the dummy. Success! I quickly grab another arrow and aim for the second dummy. This one is further away and I need to concentrate more in order to hit its centre. After I let the second arrow fly, I immediately take a third arrow and place it on my bow. The last target is in the far back and is slightly hidden behind a wall. But I manage to hit this one too. I turn to the Guildmaster and I can see him smiling at me. I beam at his approval.

"Well done! You hit all the targets. Unfortunately most foes don't stand still. So let's see how you fare with moving targets. You have a minute to score as many points as you can. The front target is worth one point. The middle one I worth three, and the one in the back will score you nine points. And remember the longer you pull back your bow string the more damage it will take. More damage means more points. But you must balance power firing rate and accuracy. Let's see what you can do" suddenly I can hear a grinding noise and the three dummies start moving sideways. I can hear nots and bolts churning and squeaking, I think the mechanism needs a bit more oil. I take my position in the circle again and start to aim. The first two arrows miss their targets. I am trying to aim at the dummy in the back, it will give me the most points. But every time I let my arrow fly it will be a second too late. I need to let the arrow fly before I think it needs to go. Otherwise it is just going to miss again. I notch another arrow and this time, I let it loose one second before I think it needs to go. It hits the dead centre of the dummy. Yes! I grab arrow after arrow and now that I have finally figured out when to let loose, I hit the dummy every single time. I have already hit it 5 times and I just put my last arrow on the string when I hear the Guildmaster telling me to stop.

"Excellent shooting my lad. Do that in your skill test and I'll be most impressed." My chest swells with pride at his statement.

"Next we will learn about the ways of the Will. Speak to me when you're ready to continue with your training I'll be heading to the island near the waterfall." I groaned. I hated Will training. It takes too much concentration. Every time I tried even the simplest spells, it never worked. I followed everything I read in the books, but nothing ever seemed to work. With a heavy sigh, I make my way towards the island near the waterfall. I can see Whisper near the Melee ring. A man in a dark apprentice outfit stands next to her. Whisper excels in close combat training and she often helps other apprentices with their training. I should check out how she is doing after my Will training. I run the rest of the way towards the island and find the Guildmaster there, waiting for me.

"It's time to learn about Will powers. We will begin by striking these straw dummies with lightning." A groan escapes my lips and my shoulders slump. I try to recall from the books I've read. They say I need to focus my Will and channel the energy inside me. I need to manipulate it in order to do my biddings. It never really worked before.

"Alright, let's see what you've got." The Guildmaster says. I turn away from the Guildmaster and close my eyes. I try to focus on my Willpower. I hear Maze once tell me I needed to imagine a pool inside me, and slowly tap from that pool. I try to look deep inside me and try to envision what Maze told me. I imagine myself tapping some of the pool and forming it into lightning. I can feel some energy rise in me. I have to concentrate very hard on this and channel it towards my hands. Then when I can feel electricity crackling in my hands I aim at the dummy in front of me. A lightning bolt shoots form my hands and hits the target. Yes! I finally did it! It was nowhere near as impressive as how Maze does it. I have seen him use his lightning bolts many times, but this is a start!

"That's it. See how many you can hit in half a minute. Only attack dummies that are facing the centre of the island. You won't get any points for hitting one in the back. You will only waste valuable mana." The Guildmaster says. Lighting won't harm the dummy when you hit it in the back, just like it won't help you when it hits certain pieces of armour. I need to know where to aim it in order for it to be successful. I try to calm myself again and focus my energy, my Will. I let out a breath, I didn't know I was holding and focus my Will on the dummy in front of me. Nothing happens. Again I try to concentrate and focus my Will power, I can feel electricity crackling around my fingertips. Yes it is working. Now I try to aim at the dummy. A weak short lightning bolt shoots towards the dummy, but before it hits its target, the bolt fades and disappears. I groan in frustration, the clock is ticking. Anger bubbles in the pit of my stomach. Once again I try to focus my Will and I aim for the dummy once more. My lack of improvement starts to eat at me and my anger rises. The air around me starts to hum slightly and I can feel the hair on the back of my neck rising. I let all my anger go with one big push of my Will power and aim all my anger at the Dummy in front of me. A great burst of lightning shoots from my hands and it hits all three dummies at once. The force of the attack surprises me and I stagger back, losing all my focus. The attack was way more powerful than I had intended and ever expected. I look towards the Guildmaster and he too has shock written all over his face. But he recovers more quickly than me. I can't quite read his expression. I try to shrug it off and try to focus my Will again, the dummies are once again facing the centre of the island, and I still have 15 seconds left. But when I try to use my Will power again, my vision blurs and I feel lightheaded.

"Using your Willpower depletes your mana. And once used it takes time to replenish." I can vaguely hear the Guildmaster say. I must have used up my mana with the last attack. I shake my head to clear away the dizziness. Only 7 more seconds. If I time this right I might be able to hit another dummy before my time is up. Only 5 seconds. I try to focus my Will again, the dizziness returns but this I can handle. 3 seconds. I can do this. I take one deep breath and let it out as I aim at the dummy, willing the lightning to hit it. A small lightning bolt speeds towards the dummy and hits it just as the Guildmaster calls for me to stop. By now I am breathing heavily and I wipe the sweat from my brow. I never knew Will training was this draining. I feel all lightheaded and to be honest, I am exhausted. I let myself fall to the ground and just sit to catch my breath while the Guildmaster approaches me.

"Excellent use of magic well done!" His voice sounds proud and excited, but he wears a serious expression. The same he had after my little outburst. I don't know what to make of it, so I shrug and smile up at him. With a sheepish grin I reach out my hand to him, indicating I need his help getting up. The Guildmaster finally smiles, and this time the smile reaches his eyes to, he helps me up and pats me on the back.

"Very good lad you have learned the tree hero disciplines. We can now move on to your final training, and eventually your final test. Or you can spend your time exploring the Guild first. I believe whisper is about head into the woods. If you wish to join her." I am not quite ready for more training yet, the will training took its toll on me. I think I'll first see what Whisper is up to. As if the Guildmaster knows what I am thinking, he smiles at me.

"Very well I'll be in the map room when you're ready to continue." At first I thought it was creepy how he Guildmaster always seems to know what I am thinking, but I am used to it now and just smile after him.

As I make my way towards the Guildwood entrance, I pass a few other apprentices. Most are divided in skill classes. Blue for Will trainees, green for archers, and red for close combat. Usually, once you are assigned to a skill class, you stay with your class type, more in common and such nonsense. Everyone starts training in all three Hero disciplines and then chooses one to excel in. Not everyone is gifted with magic, nog is everyone skilled enough with a bow, or knows how to handle a sword properly. I am pulled out of my thought by someone.

"I still can't believe you beat my time." A man in a white tunic says. I remember him. In my first months of being in the Guild, this man was boasting about how he was the fastest Guild apprentice. Thinking I was just some random kid he tried to bully me into beating his time. Truth be told, he really wasn't all that fast anyhow and even then I could easily outrun him. I ignore him and continue on my way. For a moment I think of visiting Maze, telling him of my first success in Will training. But he was supposed to have a meeting with one of the Guild's oldest members. I remember seeing him once before, he was a scary looking man, all skin and bones. It seemed there was hardly anything left of him, his voice deep and rough, it did not sound like a man's voice. I better not disturb them. I can see Whisper near the Guildwood entrance, she is waving at me. I run towards her smiling.

"Took you long enough! Farmboy. Come on, let's hunt beetles! I'll follow you into the woods." She sneers with a mischievous glint in her eye. I shove her lightly and together we make out way into the Guildwoods.

"The beetle nest is just at the top of the." She stops midsentence and looks around quickly.

"Wait did you hear that? It's coming over there." She points towards the small river. Just on the other side, three bandits have gathered.

"Bandits! If only we could get across that stream" She whispers. I can see her thinking. I take another look at the bandits and I can feel my anger rising. Memories of the Oakvale raid flash before my eyes. I reach for my sword, when Whispers words reach me.

"I know! Why don't you use your bow? Or some of that lightning the Guildmaster taught you.

I'll heal you when you get hurt." She whispers, maybe a bit too loud. I have seen Whisper training with a bow, and she could not hit a Rocktroll if it was standing right in front of her. And her Will powers are even worse than mine. Slowly, I take out my bow and notch an arrow. We are crouched behind a large rock and I can get an easy shot at one of the bandits. I have never killed before, but we cannot risk them entering the Guild. I draw back my arrow as far as I dare without making a sound. My target is bare chested so I aim for his heart. With one deep breath I release my arrow. Time seems to slow when my arrow leaves the bow. In slow-motion, I watch the arrow fly towards the first bandit. It hits him right in the chest, shock is evident on his face as he stares at the arrow. Then he staggers and falls down. The other two bandits scream in shock and turn towards us. Our hiding spot is not ideal, but it takes them a second to spot us, I have already grabbed another arrow, taken advantage of the time it takes them to organise themselves. One of the bandits grabs an already loaded crossbow and aims for Whisper. With a loud twang the bolt flies towards her. Whisper ducks but the bolt grazes her right arm and she winches in pain. Anger fills my veins once again as I remember the screams of my people. As they are slaughtered before my eyes. I notch my second arrow and aim for the guy with the crossbow. It will take him precious time to reload it. Time I will not grant him. They will not take my friend from me. No one will be ever taken from me again! I release my arrow with a loud roar, and with its release I can feel electricity around me. I hear a loud crash and there is a bright light which blinds me momentarily. When I regain my vision, I spot the charred body of the second bandit, the last one looking at it in horror. I try to ready my bow one last time only to find it broken. The force of the electricity has singed the string and there is a large crack in the bow. I must have accidentally used my Will power in time with the arrow. I discard the now useless broken bow on the ground and let out a loud roar. Again I let all my anger flow through me and let it channel my will power in another lightning bolt towards the last bandit. This attack is not as powerful as I had hoped, but it hits home nonetheless and the last bandit falls to the ground. With heavy breathing I turn towards Whisper who looks at me with both shock and awe at me. I notice she clutches her arm tightly and I reach for her. I take her arm to examine the wound. She winces in pain when I grasp her arm. The wound is superficial and not deep. This will heal quickly. I look her in the eye to see if she is truly alright. Her brown eyes find my blue ones.

"We did it." she breaths in relief. Then the fact that we actually did it settles in and a smile breaks out on her face radiating from her deep brown eyes. Her smile is infectious and I find myself grinning in return.

"Did you see the look on their faces? Wait till the Guildmaster hears about this!" She says, and I share her excitement. Together we run towards the Guildmaster who would be in the Maproom. Whisper still holds her arm where she had been hurt, but I will escort her to the infirmary after we have spoken to the Guildmaster. When we reach him, Whisper tells him the entire story with such enthusiasm. The Guildmaster looks surprised but pride shines through on his face. After Whisper has told him everything, he ushers her to the infirmary. I try to follow her but he stops me.

"She will be fine. Just give her a moment to rest and to regain her strength. You however, will be getting more Will training, seeing as you have trouble controlling it." I groan in response but try to smile. He means well after all. I guess the training never really ends.

The boy mastered the skills quickly, but there was always more to learn. For years the Guild was his home, his school and his life. But as the time pasts, his thoughts returned always to the world outside. The life he had lost, the family that was torn from him. At Last only the final day of test remained. Success would mark the end of his training. He would receive the Guild seal and be free to forge his own destiny. He would become a Hero.


	4. Chapter 4 A Heroes' Graduation

Chapter 4. A Heroes' graduation

The boy mastered the skills quickly, but there was always more to learn. For years the Guild was his home, his school and his life. But as the time pasts, his thoughts returned always to the world outside. The life he had lost, the family that was torn from him. At Last only the final day of test remained. Success would mark the end of his training. He would receive the Guild seal and be free to forge his own destiny. He would become a Hero.

I double check the straps of my quiver before shouldering it. Hanging both it and my bow over my shoulder, I rest both my hands on the hilt of my sword, I turn back to the Guildmaster.

"Before you graduate there is one final test you must complete. Enter the Woods and go to the log at the top of the hill. The test will be revealed to you there. Good luck." He says as we walk through the training grounds together. All my years of training have lead up to this. My final test, after this I will finally be able to make my mark. I nod at the Guildmaster and enter the Guildwoods. I suppose the final test is near the fallen tree, where the beetles nest. Slowly I take in my surroundings. It is spring and the birds are particularly loud today. The small stream has grown into a creek and the trees are once again green. A light breeze brings the smell of flowers with it. It is almost peaceful. Almost.

A soft glow is to my right and Maze's large form appears from a blue hueing light. He wears an expressionless mask as I turn towards him, my eyebrows raised in confusion.

"I suppose you're wondering how you'll pass your final test then, it's simple." Oh that can't be good.

"You'll have to defeat me." Say what now? I have to defeat Maze?

"We'll begin with your sword. Hit me if you can." He says with a neutral expression. I only now notice the staff in his right hand. So, this is really it then? I need to prove my worth against Maze. It seems fitting somehow. He was the one who brought me here in the first place. I take my stance in front of him and unsheathe my sword. I no longer carry the iron longsword I used in training. I have upgraded to an iron katana, conquered in some extra training exercise. I weigh it in my hand, making it an extended part of my arm. Shifting my weight I try to get a read on the man in front of me. Icy blue eyes stare back at me and it takes a lot of effort not to break eye contact. I try to take a step towards him but when I do, Maze teleports a few feet away from me. I groan as I make my way towards Maze. I take my time circling him. Trying to find a spot he cannot defend too easily. While I am circling him, he doesn't even look at me. He just stares ahead. Standing to his left side, I decide to strike. I aim for his shoulder but he easily blocks my attack. Swerving around him, I swing at his right kneecap. This blow is also halted with ease. With a quick roll I end up in front of my opponent and strike with a powerful blow towards his chest. But instead of striking true, I hit nothing but air. Maze has disappeared. I quickly surroundings but he is nowhere to be seen. He must have teleported to the other end of the woods. With a sigh, I make my way across the path to the stream, where I think Maze will be. Just when I round the corner, I spot him. He is standing near the small riverbed where Whisper and I offed those bandits a while ago. Maze seems to be admiring the wall carving on the other side of the river. I know better than to try and sneak up on him. It might look like he is ignoring me, but I know he is aware of my every move. For an older guy he is still very fast. And his mastery of the Will is very difficult to go up against. He has very keen skills of perception and is always highly aware of his surroundings. But I might still use my youth and agility to my advantage. He might be fast, but I'm faster. Or at least more flexible. Cautiously, I make my way towards Maze. Watching for tell-tale signs of his teleporter spell. I am now within striking range, but Maze pays me no heed. I pretend to strike to his left, then when he goes to block, I roll to his right and strike. Success! I've hit his right flank. Maze staggers back from my hit, I don't believe I have actually hurt him but I check for blood nonetheless. He grips his staff in both hands and once again teleports a few feet away. This time he looks at me, a small smile on his face. Alright let's finish this. I rush towards him. With a roll I strike at him and my katana grates across his staff. The power of my attack forces Maze back a step. I use this small moment of weak balance to turn and strike Maze again. This time I hit his shoulder. Without missing losing my streak, I use my flourish movement to continue my assault. My katana sings as it pierces the air. Unfortunately, instead of hitting Maze, air is the only thing it hits is more air. Damn his teleport spell.

"Very good." I hear Maze say. He is standing right behind me. Regarding me with his icy stare.

"Now shoot me with your bow." I nod to Maze, putting away my katana and taking out my longbow. But when I nock my arrow he hastily ads.

"Don't get too close!" I smirk at him while correctly nocking my arrow. He is aware that archery what I really excel in. Maze once again teleports a few feet away from me. However, this only makes my shot easier. I take aim and wait for the perfect moment. I notice Maze watching me more carefully now than with my melee test. Knowing he is searching for when I release my arrow, I feign a release and look for the blue hue where Maze will reappear. Two foot to the right. I release my arrow just as Maze materialises on the spot and hit him on his left shoulder. It bounces off him. A strong shield spell. Good, no I won't have to hold back on my shots. MY archery test takes very little time, and before I know it I have hit him 4 out of the 5 times I took aim.

"Excellent!" Maze Exclaims.

"And finally, cast lightning at me!" Oh great. With a sigh, I sling my bow back on my shoulder and return the arrow to my quiver. I take another deep breath to clear my head. Though my Will power has greatly improved, it still is my weakest skill. Taking a more relaxed stance, I spread my hands and summon the lighting to my hands. With a burst I aim for Maze, but he deflects my lightning strike easily. A frustrated sigh escapes my lips. How will I impress the master of Will with this weak display? I need to do better if I want to pass. Once again I try to summon lightning, but this time I remember what Whisper told me. Every time I let my anger get the better of me, my Will power increases, although it does become rather difficult to control. I try to recall all the taunting of Thunder, Whispers boasting older brother. He truly gets on my nerves. Always on his high horse pretending like he is so much better than everyone else. The air starts to crackly and grows heavy with static. I am ready. With a powerful thrust, I strike my attack at Maze and hit him dead centre. He seems to be taken aback only the slightest little bit. I continue my assault on him before I lose control or my anger dies out. Two more strikes find their way towards Maze and are just as easily deflected as the next. I am no match for Maze on the ways of the Will.

"That's enough!" Maze proclaims. Good timing too. I am exhausted and halt my spell, collapsing on my knees.

"Yes quit impressive for a novice." He says. "You'll find real battles rather more fatal then this. But you have past your final test and you're ready to receive your Guild seal from the Guildmaster." Maze helps me up with a rare smile on his face. The news takes a few seconds to really sink in. I passed. I passed! I passed my final test! I am going to graduate and finally become a Hero! Maze slaps me on the back and disappears before my eyes. Well so far for sharing a moment with the big guy. A great big grin appears on my face and I pump my fist into the air. I have to tell Whisper. We have to celebrate this! I smile to myself as I walk back to the Guild Grounds.

As I walk up to the Maproom I find the Guildmaster waiting for me. His large moustache bristles as he smiles at me.

"Well this is the day lad. I remember the first night you came to us. And look at you now." My chest swells with pride. It feels good to have this man's approval. This old wizened man, who has taught me all that I know.

"Maze's fate in you was well placed. Now come along. The graduation ceremony will take in the Chamber of Fate. The oldest part of the Guild." He turns and starts walking towards the library. I have never been to the Chamber of Fate before. It is off limits for just mere novices and only ever used for ceremonies. Once we reach the far side of the library we halt in front of two grant bookcases that take up the whole wall. The Guildmaster takes a moment to study the books a little above his head.

"Ah, there it is." He exclaims as he retracts a red tome. A grating sound is heard as the bookcases open up to reveal a door. Anxious, I follow the old man into the corridor. A long bridge lies before us and when I glance over the edge I feel my face grow white. The abyss is so deep I cannot even see the bottom. Just a big black emptiness.

"Come along now lad." The Guildmaster calls. I retract from the edge and hurry after him. The less time I spent on this bridge the better. When we reach the end I can hear voices through the door.

"You just go wait next to Whisper until you are called, alright lad?" I nod to him and hurry next to Whisper. I'm really glad we get to graduate together. Through the years she has become my best friend and I wouldn't have want to do this without her. I take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. She shoots me a sideways grin, before her gaze shoots straight back to one spot in front of us. I follow her gaze and my eyes fall on Thunder, complete in his golden armour and lion helmet he does look intimidating. But I can only imagine the pride he must feel for his little sister. Next to him are Maze and the Guildmaster, who has just joined them. The exchange a few words and finally signal for everyone to settle down. The room is filled with other apprentices and graduates from earlier this year. Once everyone has calmed down, the ceremony starts.

"Let the apprentices approach." The Guildmaster calls. Whisper and I move as one. I keep my pace the same as hers while not taking my eyes off the three man in front of us. Whisper has only eyes for her brother, but keeps a steady pace.

"For many years now, you have worked hard to earn yourselves the tile of hero. Today that apprenticeship end and you go out into the world to do great deeds. Deeds that will bring you the gratitude of thousands." I straighten my back once more. Finally I will become a Hero.

"Or strike fear into their hearts." The only fear I want to cause is in the murderers who slaughtered Oakvale. I will make them pay for what they did.

"These are dark times, the shadows of Albion are stirring and strange winds are blowing. Your choices, whether they lead you on the path of good or evil, will change the face of the world." Whisper and I share a look with each other. Way to be dramatic old man. Both Thunder and the Guildmaster hold out a round seal.

"Now take your Guild seals and venture forth as heroes." I take my Guild seal from the Guildmaster as Whisper takes hers from Thunder. I suppose he wanted to give hers himself. We turn as one again and the room erupts in cheers for us.

I feel at peace, the sun is warm on my face and the grass feels soft on my back. I roll on my side to look at my sister who lies next to me. Her eyes closed, with a small smile on her face. She looks so serene, so calm. I reach out to her, to wake her, but when I touch her, she screams. Her eyes fly open, yet instead of crystal blue eyes, bloodshot red orbs look in horror at me. I try to roll away, but I roll too far and go straight over the edge of a cliff. *Thud* Auw! Slowly I try to open my eyes and strangely enough, instead of the bottom of a cliff, I can see a hardwood floor. I try to get up but my feet are trapped. Once again I find myself face first on the floor. Looking to my feet I find them all tangled up in my blanket. Right, that hasn't happened in a while, luckily no one around to see me fall out of bed. I hurry to get my bed back in order and get dressed. Today for the first time in 10 years I do not put on my apprentice robes. The Guildmaster has left me some normal trousers and a cream colored blouse. I grab my bag and hurry down the stairs. I was supposed to meet the Guildmaster at the break of dawn. And of course I am late again. Trotting down the stairs I can see the Guildmaster smiling. Of course he knew I would be late. Sly bastard.

"It's time for you to leave us now, but your still very much part of the guild. On the map table you will find details of quests people of Albion wish Heroes to perform." He gestures to the Maptable, where a few quest cards still lie.

"And you'll need to return often to focus all your gained experience into new skills. Only by doing this recurrently will you advance as a Hero." He walks towards a niche next to the double doors.

"Step into the light and I'll show you how to do this." With a nod I step into the green lit area and immediately I am overwhelmed by memories of my training. The images flash so fast I can hardly make sense of them.

"Close your eye lad and try to clear your head, you'll make sense of what you see." I follow his advice, close my eyes and take a deep breath. The images slow, but I still can't get a hold of one.

"Try to pick out one skill to focus on, Strength, Skill or Will. This is an easy way to sort your memories and experience." I take another deep breath and try to focus on my melee training. Many fights with Whisper flash before my eyes, and this time I can make sense of them. I can see when I used my strength to my advantage, or my speed.

"Good, now you can focus your experience on speed, strength or endurance. By focussing on one particular skill, you will be able to train better and grow faster in this particular skill." Sounds easy enough. For now I try to focus on my strength and endurance, and I can feel my backpack growing lighter. Or am I just getting stronger? A tap on my arm breaks my concentration and I step out of the light to stop the memories from blinding my view. The sudden clarity in my head has me swaying on my feet but the Guildmaster's hand on my shoulder helps me get steady.

"There is little else for me to teach you. But I'll be always here to offer you guidance." I smile at him, it is nice to know he will always be there when I need his help.

"Your Guild seal will allow me to communicate with you at all time. You will also notice it flashing when you have enough experience to spend."

"I have given you a basic pack of supplies. It will be enough for a while. Now there is a whole world for you to explore." He hands me a sack and walks away smiling. I wait until he has left the room before I ransack the contents of the bag he handed me. Oh great! Some health potions. There is also a lamp which I tie to my backpack. Let's see, a will potion, some leftover apple pie, and… Wait. Are those resurrection phials? Those are very expensive and rare! According to the scroll I read about them they will bring you back from the brink of dead. How did they get these? Crafty old bastard. I smile to myself and pack everything in my bag. I suppose there is nothing left for me to do but check if there are any quest cards and be on my way. I walk over to the Maptable. There are a few cards, let's see. Snow Trolls. That might be a bit too much to start with. Oh the picnic area has been overrun by wasps. I've done pest control before. This I can do! I grab the card and make my way to the door. With one deep breath, I open the doors and walk into the world. It's Hero time.


End file.
